Angel Of Music
by KizzoftheDead
Summary: "Phantom of the Opera" inspired! Orihime Inoue is a young woman with a large heart and an even larger voice. When she gets the chance to perform on the stage of the illustrious "Opera De Las Noches", she catches more than just one person's eye... and she's not sure which are friends, which are phantoms- or what will become of her when they revealed. Grimmhime... some Ulquihime!
1. Prolouge

**Angel of Music**

* * *

**AN: *peeks head out nervously* Hi guys...! I know some of you waiting on a "Champagne" update are probably about to want to kill me, but hear me out first! I recently got to see the Royal Albert Hall version of PotO, and this little idea spawned in my head and wouldn't let me write anything else! Honest! XD No, but really, I've had this idea in the "Future Fics" section of my bio for a while, and really, really wanted to act on it. Don't worry though, I'll still be updating "Champagne" (especially since I just recently had some new ideas for it) in due time! The next chapter is in progress! Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this new fic! Please reveiw with what you think! (: Much love!**

* * *

The twilight is setting in swiftly, and the earth seems to be falling into a sleep deep enough to qualm the demons that have plagued him nightly since the day he was born- just long enough for him to notice the two stunning gray eyes staring at him through the bars of the cage he's lived in for two, three, four years. It's seemed like an eternity. But they're there- those eyes, and at the moment time seems to move a little quicker- just fast enough for his heart to begin beating again.

He shifts uneasily, sliding back farther into the shadow of his cage for fear of startling the girl. She's likely never seen a face like his- deformed, mutated, destroyed- all adjectives that haunt him constantly and follow him around as a permanent description. He's a monster, a freak... though definitely not by choice.

She shifts also in response, stepping forward and pressing her face into the frozen metal bars of his cage to try and see him better. He's unsure- it's not often that anyone dares to come close enough to the cage to be at arm's reach- most who do are violent, crazy, or leering. Yet, in her eyes, he see's nothing of the sort; only curiosity, kindness, and warmth. He doesn't dare let himself hope though, not even for a second, that what he sees is honestly what she is- that her eyes will not soon fill with terror and disgust.

It's then that someone steps up beside her, taking one tiny mitted hand away from the bars and into his very large one. If the boy could guess the man's age he'd say at most he could be thirty five- though in his eyes he sees wisdom far beyond that number.

"Orihime, what're you looking at?" The man says.

_Weaving Princess!_

He finds joy in knowing the translation of her name. His mind is clever, and he's extremely intelligent- even only having read a few textbooks in his lifetime, he knows much more than anyone else his age would. He often thinks of this fact with great bitterness; if it were not for his face, perhaps he could be most dearly loved. But no, by some great twist of awful fate, he was made as a bug to be trampled on, and murdered much later.

"I... I think there's a boy..."

Her voice chimes like the sweetest of bells, even at her young age. Her voice is soft, though, and much in need of training.

"Sora-nii... why would they have a boy locked up this way?"

Her eyes look up to her elder brother with great sadness, and with that expression on her face the boy cannot fathom how her brother says what he does. He expects something to qualm her worry; to make the world seem less terrible than it is. But this is not the case.

"They think he's a monster. A freak of nature..."

Her face becomes even more downcast at this- her eyebrows furrowing together tightly. At six years old, she's not yet wise enough to know the awful way the world works- that most decisions are based on frivolities and shallowness. At twelve himself, and very much old enough to have experienced many of these things, he doesn't have the fortune enough to be unwise.

"...but he's just a boy, and that thinking isn't right, 'Hime."

She nods, and then without a word steps up to the bars, removing her mittens and lying them right inside the cage, so that he'll definitely be able to take them. Her brother doesn't protest- only takes her hands in his and kisses them to keep them warm. She smiles at this, but then remembers what she just did and frowns.

"I don't think you're a monster, boy." She murmurs softly. "So don't think for a second that everyone's the same, okay?"

The boy turns over the words in his mind for a moment, watching her bright smile.

He decides to test what she's just said.

He crawls back into the light hesitantly, eyes filled with fear and loneliness. His body is emaciated and ruined with scars- and his face, oh, how horrid a face he has. The entire right side of it is deformed beyond measure- his lip is drawn up much too far, his cheek doesn't form around the bone naturally, and his eye is partially blind; discolored against his left, but no less filled with light and emotion.

She gasps and draws back for a moment, but upon greater scrutiny decides that even with his face so greatly wrong, he's just another child like herself. Smiling again, she steps back to the bars, holding out her hand for him to take.

"You have beautiful eyes." Is all she says. Her brother behind her smiles faintly at her courage and kindness, and he feels pride beyond measure. The boy just suddenly feels very, very warm. Reaching out his hand to touch hers, they fail to make contact for even a moment before the fair owner (having seen what was occurring) pulls her away from the bars, at least a few steps back. Her brother immediately retaliates, ripping the man's hand from his younger sister's arm. The boy only shrinks back in his cage for fear that he's soon to receive yet another beating.

"How dare you?! Get your hands off of her!" He screams.

"But monsieur, that boy is dangerous! He's a demon!"

"He's just a boy! I ought to report you for the way he looks- he's hungry and sick- can't you see?"

Orihime, at all the fighting, begins to sniffle, and the boy notices, the sound tearing him away from his fear of the fair owner. He crawls back up to the front the cage and motions to get her to come closer. Seeing this, she quietly steps away from the scene, back close to the bars. He smiles faintly at her, gently reaching his hand out and wiping a lone tear from her cheek, shaking his head as if to tell her not to cry.

"Shh..." His voice rasps. "Don't... cry..."

After years of not speaking, he finds it difficult to- but her nodding encourages him.

"What's... your name?" He asks, though he already knows. "Mine is... Grimmjow."

"G-grimmjow?"

He nods, grinning again, and she smiles back at him, brighter than ever before. She opens her mouth to say something in response, but before she can her brother grabs her hand, leading her away from the cage gently, though quickly.

"Come on Orihime. We're going to the police. Don't you worry, we'll get him out of there."

Fighting against his hold just a little, she turns back to Grimmjow, meeting eyes with him one last time before he and his cage are out of sight.

And that evening, when Sora returns with the police, they find that the boy, young Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, has escaped.

* * *

**AN II: Something about a six year old Orihime and twelve year old Grimmjow just makes me extremely happy inside. XD See you next update!**

**P.S. College is hard. XD**


	2. Roses

**AN: Well, I don't know how or why, but I had a burst of inspiration last night and I couldn't stop writing! So, voila- another update for all of you! Hope you readers enjoy it, and I'm excited to see what you guys think, as always! Much love!**

* * *

_~Fifteen Years Later, 1881~_

It's a warm summer evening, just before night has fully set in to the city of Paris, France. Candlelight is slowly leaking into the streets as both men and women light their homes for the few more hours that they'll be awake as they're preparing for bed. Those who aren't there yet are slowly trickling off the streets, bound for home... except for a select few.

Those who work for the "Opera De Las Noches"- the "Opera of the Night" will be up much past dark.

Rehearsals for "Hannibal", the new production for the house, are underway- and the stage is very much alive, all adorned with color and flame. The dancers are stretching, the voices of the production are warming up, and all is as it should be...

...well, almost.

One young dancer doesn't seem to be present- and one very kind and _loud_ Primma Donna is worried.

"Orihime? Orihime where you?" A timid but voluminous voice calls.

She walks steadily through the twisting labyrinth of halls and entryways that make up the backstage of the opera house, worry tugging at her heart and fear settling in her veins.

It's been eight long and terrible months since the rumors of the "Phantom of the Opera De Las Noches" began, and only a few since the evil specter began acting on them. At first people only mentioned seeing a figure in the corner of their eyes- a strangely misplaced shadow here and there- but a few months ago, things on stage began working not so well. An accident or two occurring within a month might not seem all that worrisome to some, but the majority of the cast has been terrified, including the illustrious Primma Donna herself- Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

"Orihime this isn't funny!" She calls, voice ringing. "You know how I feel about all the... all the rumors..."

She spins around when she swears she sees a shadow at the end of one of the darker hallways, sprinting back from whence she came, realizing that she's come to a dead end and not, unfortunately, her best friend's room.

Orihime and Nelliel met when they were both just young children, not too long after the incident at the fair, when Orihime was eleven and Nelliel fifteen. Sora, Orihime's elder brother, was a violinist- and Nelliel's mother was a Primma Donna herself. They grew up in the opera house, but only Orihime lives there now- after her brother passed away a few years ago, she was forced to reside there instead of their quaint cottage on the outskirts of the city, while Nelliel was soon wed to her now husband Nnoitra Gilga and moved with him into a plush apartment in the northern reaches of it.

"Orihime! I can't take this any-" She stops dead when she realizes that she's come to her friend's room, meanwhile stopping what she was saying just as quickly. "You're late for rehearsals 'Hime!"

Throwing open the door, she's surprised to come upon her best friend standing with her back to her, poised in her dancing position but otherwise unmoving. Blinking a few times, she takes a hesitant step forward, reaching for the edge of her friend's dress.

"Orihime?" She asks timidly, tugging at the fabric gently. "Is everything..."

Her voice trails off as she comes to find what her friend is looking at- a large bouquet of roses- larger than Nelliel has ever seen- rests on Orihime's vanity, fresh and sweet smelling.

"...okay." Nelliel says, eyes widening quite a bit as her voice deadpans.

"Nelliel, aren't they lovely?" Orihime says in disbelief, eyebrows raised and eyes full of wonder. "I didn't know you could even buy this many..."

Nelliel can't find the words to say, though she manages to feel just a hint of jealousy.

Four months ago, the roses started to appear for her friend, growing in number every day but never so quickly as to form a bouquet. She'd find her friend staring at a rose that just casually seemed to be placed on top of a prop that belonged to her, or even in her room, as they are now. Orihime, in jest, would always say that she must have made an admirer of the Opera Ghost for them to appear so randomly, and Nelliel never really took it seriously until now.

"Do you think the Opera Ghost sent these too?" Orihime says, grinning playfully and laughing a little.

Nelliel, immediately feeling ashamed of her jealousy, flushes furiously and begins to laugh with her, choosing instead to be happy for the red-headed girl standing in front of her.

"He must've! I can't imagine that anyone else could've snuck these back here!" She chimes in reply.

Orihime's eyes suddenly go distant as she glances back down at the bouquet, and a soft smile takes her lips.

"Maybe he's in love with me..." She says gently, fingering one of the rose's petals, feeling, somehow, that she is being watched.

"Well he must be, to send so many flowers!" Nelliel laughs, hugging her friend. "But come now, it's time for rehearsals- you know Monsieur Schiffer won't be happy if one of his dancers are slacking off!"

Nodding a little she turns to her friend, looping arms with her and heading for the door.

"You really shouldn't call him 'Monsieur' Nel... he _is _your father."

"A father who treats me just the same as everyone else..." Nelliel murmurs bitterly. "Ever since I married Nnoitra he acts as if I'm barely alive."

"Well perhaps he's just having trouble dealing with the fact that both women in his life are gone?" Orihime asks softly, smiling. "He had you so young, and your mother died so soon after that- it must feel awfully old to be alone already."

"Maybe..." Nelliel replies, voice fading off as they head for the stage. "But I still see him so much you'd think it wouldn't make a difference..."

* * *

When the room is finally quiet and the halls seem to be relatively empty, the Phantom exits his perch hidden in the ceiling of Orihime's room, smirking wildly.

"She liked them... couldn't have asked for a better reaction than that... freakin' perfect!"

He stretches out a little, grunting faintly as he feels a few bones pop back into place.

"Really should've thought about the size of the passages though... at sixteen when I was building 'em I guess I wasn't thinking about the future much..." He murmurs, relaxing and readjusting his mask. "Damned tiny holes..."

He glances toward the closed door for a moment, half-smiling.

"...really was worth it though... to see her smile the way she did..."

He feels a sudden rush of positive emotion- the kind that makes his heart jump in his chest and face warm- at the memory of that gorgeous smile. He'd do anything to see that again...

Starting suddenly, he remembers that rehearsals have already started.

"Ah, shit..." He groans, heading for the door himself. "Now I have to go up all those stairs..."

* * *

By the time the Phantom reaches his perch high above the Opera Stage, rehearsals have long since started, and Nelliel has already begun to sing. Gritting his teeth a little as she hits (or at least tries to) a very high note, he finds himself suddenly taken with the idea of leaving... but then remembers that Orihime is down there as well and forces down his distaste, simply so he can see her perform. He's never particularly liked the Prima Donna's voice, or her mother's before that- he's always found it much too flitty and disgustingly misunderstandable. But, then again, he's also always had a very distinct taste with voices and music, one that often goes against the norm. It's his genius- he's far ahead of his time.

He watches with mild interest as Orihime begins her dance number with the rest of the humble men and women around her, but immediately senses that something is not right. Her step is off, her motions are more staccato and less graceful... he can't fathom what could possibly have caused this shift in her mood from just a while ago...

He shifts faintly as he leans in closer, eyes narrowing, not realizing that his head is coming precariously close to a rope that _really _shouldn't be touched. One more small move and...

...the backdrop for the production comes crashing down onto the stage violently, narrowly missing the Primma Donna and almost pushing some of the dancers off the side of the stage. Panicking, he checks to make sure that Orihime was unhurt, only to find her looking up at almost exactly where he's perched. Surprised at her intuitiveness (but still unwilling to have her see him), he immediately ducks back into the entrance from whence he came, sealing the trapdoor he used securely and taking a moment to sit in the darkness. Feeling his heart pounding, he takes a deep breath, closing his eyes.

_"That one was too close. Too close." _He thinks to himself, recalling Orihime's level gaze. _"She's searching now."_

He opens his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness slowly but surely. Feeling somewhat shaken, he runs his hands through his hair. He doesn't want her to see him. He doesn't want her to meet him, after all of these years, mostly because- if he's honest with himself- he's afraid. It's been fifteen long, tiring, changing years since she last saw him- she's no longer a child, no longer completely aloof to the world and its ways- she's a woman. A strong, balanced young woman who surely has opinions and positions on the world. So, who's to say that she hasn't formed into someone different from the child that he knew so long ago? What if she rejects him- leaving his entire memory and opinion of her mangled and broken? He couldn't bear it if that happened- couldn't bear to have all the light in his life disappear.

Grunting a little, he stands- at least as much as he can with the tunnels being so small- making his way toward the stairs that will lead him deeper and deeper down into the Opera De Las Noches...

* * *

Orihime (long after Grimmjow is gone, though she wouldn't know it) stares high above herself, searching still with her eyes for some sign of a Phantom or person, unafraid, but rather curious instead- even with the chaos spreading around her as some have been trapped beneath the large tarp that fell across the stage.

"Orihime! Orihime are you okay?" Nelliel calls, running through the chaos with Nnoitra following behind, straight to her dancer friend- frantically pulling her into a tight embrace. "I was so worried that the backdrop caught you on the way down- it narrowly missed me-"

Focusing slowly on her friend- and only truly starting to pay attention when she's caught off guard by the rather tight hug- she immediately diffuses her friend's worry with a smile, and a shake of her head.

"I'm fine, Nelliel- really!" She glances back up to where she was looking earlier, then back to her friend's worried eyes. "It wasn't even close to me!'

The small group that has gathered around Orihime turn and look at the rampant disorder that has taken the stage- one dancer, who is particularly superstitious, is already screaming about the phantom, and others are calling out for help with minor injuries. This is all, however, completely diffused by the sudden rap of Monsieur Schiffer's walking stick against the hardwood of the stage-floor. Every dancer immediately freezes, and all the rest stop simply because of the abrupt, loud sound.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this was all a common accident." He immediately begins. "It would be best to keep our heads and instead turn our attention to those of us who may have been _minorly_\- he drawls upon that word, making clear his opinion on the supposed danger- injured by the tarp."

A soft murmur comes from the crowd in response, and Nelliel immediately turns back to Orihime, only to find her friend's face paler than normal- her lips almost white.

"Are you sure you're quite alright?" Nelliel asks, placing a gentle hand on the red-head's shoulder. "You look pale."

"I'm just a little shocked is all!" Orihime immediately replies, smiling brightly to reassure her friend. "I'm fine, I promise!"

Nnoitra shifts uneasily behind Nelliel, clearing his throat faintly and making it clear to her that she's over-doing it. Nelliel immediately turns back to him and grins.

"Yes, yes... I know." She says, flushing faintly and taking his hand.

Orihime, while watching Nelliel and Nnoitra, suddenly feels a chill up her spine, and almost physically cringes at the feeling she receives from it. Turning to where the feeling is radiating from, she finds Ulquiorra standing not seven yards away, staring very clearly at her. A little confused, she turns back to Nelliel, only to see that she's stepped a little away from her, and is currently having an indistinct conversation with her husband off to the right. Turning back to where Ulquiorra stood, she notices that he's disappeared- likely off into the shelter of the wings. Feeling faintly unsettled by her choreographer's previous gaze, she decides that it may be best for her to stay with her friends and help out on stage for a while...

* * *

_~A Few Hours Later, In Orihime's Room~_

"Orihime...?" Nelliel asks quietly, giving a quick rap to her friend's door before opening it gently.

"In here." She replies tiredly, but cheerfully all the same.

Nelliel steps into the room slowly, walking through the small entryway and into the more open area that houses Orihime's home. Finding her friend lying in bed, she grins a little.

"My entire body aches..." Orihime murmurs, grinning pitifully over at her friend. "Even rehearsals with your father couldn't have prepared me for lifting that tarp."

Laughing softly, Nelliel steps over and sits on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Orihime's leg casually.

"Well next time, you shouldn't volunteer to help with the men's work then."

"But they looked so pitifully tired..." Orihime coos, stretching her aching muscles out. "...I couldn't just stand there and watch...!"

Shaking her head faintly, Nelliel stands, stepping over to her friend's vanity, gently inspecting the roses that are now housed in a smallish vase- the only one Orihime could find.

"I came here to tell you something." Nelliel murmurs softly and abruptly, not daring to look over at the red-head, who now holds herself up on her elbows. "...but, I'm afraid it's not very good news."

Eyebrows furrowing together, Orihime sits up fully, head tilting to the side just a little. She's never seen Nelliel so quiet- much less so sad-seeming. Fearing that something terrible has already occured, she voices her concern.

"Was someone hurt?" She asks, standing. "I can go help if they-"

"I'm afraid it's not that." Nelliel cuts in, turning to her friend. "I hadn't planned to tell you yet, but with today's events and all the rest of the months past... I'm... I'm leaving the Opera House."

It takes a moment for Orihime to register what her friend is saying, and when she does she has to sit down from the sheer shock of it all. Nelliel, the Primma Donna- her best friend- leaving...? But, how? Why?

Seeing the rush of emotion suddenly taking Orihime's face, Nelliel steps forward, shaking her head gently.

"I'm not leaving the city, Orihime- just the house. It's too dangerous around here now, and with my father treating me so terribly..." She sighs, wringing her hands. "I just can't handle staying here any longer."

A due silence takes the room, with Orihime simply digesting what's been said to her, and Nelliel patiently waiting for her to finish. They've been friends for so long now, it's hard for Orihime to imagine not having Nelliel down the hall rehearsing, or to be able to talk about all of the foolish things that some of the younger dancers have done in the past week. A decade they've been together in the house- a decade they've played together and spoke together daily... and now, it seems, it's all coming to an end. It's all Orihime can do to keep from crying.

"Please don't misunderstand me, 'Hime... it's not that I don't want to stay here with you, but..." She grabs her friend's hands in her own, smiling sadly. "...sometimes, things like these just have to happen."

Orihime nods quietly, tears welling in her eyes. She almost immediately tears her hands from Nelliel's hold, choosing instead to embrace her tightly.

"I plan to make the announcement tomorrow evening- at the end of rehearsals. I've already spoken to Sosuke earlier- he asked for me to stay, but was forced to understand nonetheless. Nnoitra wouldn't let him do otherwise." She chuckles softly.

"I'm... I'm happy for you, then, if this is what you truly want." Orihime says gently, pulling away and wiping her tears. "I'd rather you be at peace than frightened."

Nelliel nods gratefully, though her brows begin knitting together slowly as she looks up at her all too cheerful friend.

"But, aren't you afraid too, Orihime?" She asks.

Shaking her head almost immediately in response, Orihime begins to laugh softly, eyes lighting up to their brightest.

"Not in the slightest... I've practically been here all my life, and even with all the accidents, the only thing that the Phantom has ever done to me is leave me roses!"

* * *

**AN II: See you next update guys! Hope you enjoyed! (:**


End file.
